


Rose for a Lover

by firerwolf



Series: Spartan Love: After Dark [4]
Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 04:59:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6181213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firerwolf/pseuds/firerwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John brings Kelly a gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rose for a Lover

Kelly rolled her shoulder, trying to ease the slight ache as she walked down the hallway. She'd been clipped by a speeding Ghost during their last mission, and hit the ground at an odd angle; the impact of the fall had put a lot of stress on her shoulder, nearly pulling the arm out of the socket. It was only a dull pain, but it was still better than being hit by the Wraith-shot she'd been dodging when the Ghost had struck her. At least the Ghost had been blown up, and the collision had sent Kelly out of harm's way. Her armor hadn't made it out of the fight in as good of shape however. Several plates had been blackened or melted, and there had been a breach in her under-armor from a piece of shrapnel. Her armor was currently being repaired, which was why she was walking the halls in a tank top and regulation pants. She didn't like the glances that she got from people she passed, but she ignored them as best she could.

She smiled slightly as she remembered once that, in a spur-of-the-moment act of sweetness, John had told her that they stared at her because she was beautiful. He had said it as though it was obvious, a fact that everyone was aware of. He still didn't seem to understand why comments like that made her happy. What he did understand though, was that they were currently both out of armor; which meant that they could spend some time together. John had told her the location of a private room that he knew was open before he'd left to talk to the Captain. Kelly wasn't sure how long it would take for John to finish his report, but she hoped that it wouldn't take too much time.

Kelly reached the door of the room that John had specified and found it to be unlocked, so at least she didn't have to break in. John, though, wasn't there. Kelly sat down on the bed and decided to just wait for him to join her. The room was simple, and Kelly wondered why it was that the room was empty. After thinking about it for a moment however, she decided that she was probably better off not knowing the reason. Instead she just lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She laid there for some time, wondering if she should undress, get a head start - but she decided against it. It would be awkward if someone other than John walked in. They wouldn't understand, and she didn't want to have to explain. She just thought about the recent fight, and the reality that John would be particularly clingy. They'd had to break through a line of Wraiths on the ground, and there had only been one way to do it: Kelly had run about the field, taking shots at the Wraiths to get their attention while the other Spartans took them out with quick stealth attacks so that the line of soldiers could advance. John had been reluctant to put her in that much danger, but in the end he was still a Spartan, and they'd had no other option.

It was a longer wait than Kelly had anticipated, which annoyed her, as it meant it was missed time where it could be just her and John. When he finally did enter the room, Kelly frowned at him. "You're late," she complained as she sat up.

John sat down beside her, his hand moving to her thigh out of reflex. "My report to the Captain took longer than I expected. And I did a bit of a favor for someone. I'm sorry that it took me so long, Bunny." His hand absently rubbed her thigh as he spoke. "I did get you something, though."

Kelly looked to the single red rose he held out to her. She was stunned by the sight, having no idea where he'd gotten the flower from. She reached out and took it gently in her hand, smiling slightly. "Where did you get a rose?" It still looked fresh, and as she touched the velvety petals she was sure it was real.

"It's sort of a long story," John started. Kelly motioned for him to continue, interested in what had happened. "As I was leaving my meeting with the Captain, I noticed two women. One was carrying a dozen roses, though she didn't look particularly happy. From their conversation it seemed that a man the woman isn't really interested in bought the flowers from another crew member that is growing rose bushes with the waste water from the ship's hydroponic garden." Kelly knew about the small garden used to grow fresh vegetables for the crew, but she'd never visited it. "The second woman was trying to convince her to take the flowers while she made a report to the Captain," John explained. "She was planning to just throw them away, but the other woman didn't want to take the chance she'd get caught with them. I stepped up and offered to see that they were disposed of."

"And what happened to the other eleven flowers?" Kelly asked, twirling the flower between her fingers. "How'd this become the lone survivor?"

"I threw the rest away," John answered simply. Kelly was a little sad that the other flowers had been wasted, as they were fairly rare. "I kept just one for you. It seemed like a dozen would be over doing it, and would be too noticeable while making my way here."

"John, even this one rose would be noticeable. You could have gotten in a lot of trouble if someone had seen you with contraband like this. What would you have done if you'd been caught with this rose?" Kelly appreciated the gift, but she didn't like him risking punishment for it.

"I stayed to the halls that are least used," John assured her. "If I'd been found with it I would've told them I was heading back to the garden to verify that there were indeed rose bushes before making a formal report."

"If you did that, you'd be ratting out the crew member that's selling the flowers," Kelly pointed out. A part of her knew regulation and felt it was the right thing to do, but it felt wrong at the same time to get another soldier in trouble when what he was doing wasn't really hurting anyone.

"I would inform the proper people if it wouldn't cause them to ask me how I'd found out. I couldn't lie in a report like that, and I'd risk them asking too many questions and possibly connecting it to our fraternization. That would put you at risk of punishment, and it would also risk the team and my position as its leader." John was always cautious of the risks their relationship brought up; and not only to them, but the risks to the other Spartans as well. "The soldier is using ship resources for personal gain - as a way to get money from other soldiers. It seems logical that he should be stopped."

"Maybe you can tell a half-truth and report him," Kelly said, seeing his point. "You could say that you'd heard about it from other soldiers talking and then investigated. It would still be true, and you don't have to mention the roses at all except for the bushes." It would allow John to still do the right thing and turn in the person for selling the flowers, while avoiding the risk.

"I think that would be reasonable." John smiled and leaned over, placing a kiss on her cheek. "This is why I need you, Bunny. You're a creative thinker, and skilled at working around problems like this."

"You do the same thing when we're in combat," Kelly argued.

"But I'm only skilled at it when it comes to combat," John countered. "I don't have the skill when off the battlefield the way you do." John's hand moved from her thigh to slip around her waist, pulling her closer. "You are skilled at the things I'm not, and some of the things I am good at too."

"Well, they say everyone has a soul mate out there that fits with them. I always believed that meant they were enough like you so you got along, but filled in the gaps where you lacked. Like you do for me," Kelly explained.

John frowned slightly and furrowed his brow. "Other than your reluctance to report injuries, what flaws do you have?" From the look on his face he was serious, not seeing where she was lacking. Kelly smiled and she leaned toward him, her free hand touching his cheek lightly and guiding him closer. As soon as their lips touched John's free hand went to her neck, pulling her close. They parted a few seconds later and John nuzzled against her neck. "Can we cuddle now?"

Kelly let her hand travel to his shoulder, looking to the rose she was still holding. "No," she said as she tossed the rose over her shoulder. John lifted his head and he looked hurt by her rejection. Kelly smiled and her hand slid down from his shoulder and moved down his chest. "I don't want to cuddle just yet." Her hand reached his waist and was quickly joined by the other as she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. "We can cuddle later."

John hesitated for a fraction of a second, so briefly that only Kelly would ever have noticed it, before he leaned forward, kissing her soundly as he caressed her sides with his hands. This was how John tested the waters to see how aroused he was likely to become, like testing the blade of a knife before risking your life using it. He pulled her a bit closer, his hands moving down her sides to her hips, all good signs. She was surprised, though, as his hands moved to the front of her pants and he unbuttoned them, pulling the zipper down. It usually took John more time before deciding to move forward, and Kelly wondered if there was some external variable she hadn't considered.

Those thoughts were cut off as John's hands moved back to Kelly's waist and his hands slid her shirt up enough for him to touch skin. Kelly scooted back on the bed, moving away from John and more onto the mattress. John stood slightly, enough for Kelly to get a leg up onto the bed, allowing John to settle between it and the leg that was still over the edge. He looked at her, waiting patiently for direction as to what he should do. Kelly's hand reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him toward her as she leaned backward. He quickly leaned forward enough to cross the gap, and once more placed one hand on her thigh to steady himself and shift a leg onto the bed. Kelly's hand moved to the back of his head to keep him close as she leaned back all the way. John's hand moved from her thigh to the bed to better hold himself above her. Kelly tugged on his shirt, but he was an unmovable object, strong and sturdy above her. Kelly's nails lightly scratched over the back of his neck, just a little so she wouldn't leave a mark, while trying to keep up with his mouth as he kissed her hungrily.

Kelly tugged on his shirt again, harder this time in an attempt to get his body closer, but she was rewarded only with a tearing sound. John broke the kiss and sat up enough to pull his shirt off. He tossed it to the side and she saw him pick up the rose off the mattress, lightly tossing it out of the way as well. He then returned to his former position, his mouth once more latching onto hers. Kelly's hand moved around to his back, fighting not to scratch at him, while her other hand trailed down his chest. She felt his firm muscles move under her fingers as he shifted, pushing her shirt up a bit higher. Kelly reluctantly removed her hands from his body and grabbed the hem of her tank top. As she pulled her shirt up John suddenly pulled away from her, moving lower on the bed. His warm lips touched her stomach along the line of her ribs, in perfect contrast with the cold touch of his dog tags as they landed just below her navel. Kelly pulled her shirt all the way off and dropped it to the floor, her full attention on the lips that were touching her skin. She couldn't tell if John was actually moving slowly, or if her heightened senses had just made time seem to slow. Time seemed to get fuzzy whenever John was kissing any part of her.

John kissed higher and higher until he came to the underside of her breasts. He paused for a moment and smiled against her skin. "Thank you," he said before he continued higher, exploring her exposed chest. John moved one hand to her waist, keeping her in place as his other hand moved to the free breast, his fingers squeezing lightly as he enjoyed the soft flesh. Kelly just let her head fall back, enjoying the kissing, nipping, and sucking as John made sure every centimeter of her chest got some attention. Kelly could have let him continue for hours, as he would never tire of exploring her breasts, but the heat between her legs made it clear she needed more. Kelly's hand went to his hair, tugging it lightly, a simple sign for him to continue on. John didn't move right away, and he gave each nipple one last kiss as though thanking them before he started to kiss higher on her torso. He kissed along her collar bone to her shoulder as his hands moved to her pants, starting to pull them down. Kelly lifted her hips so that he could remove the clothing.

John stood and finished pulling off her pants, dropping them to the floor. He removed his own pants before he climbed back onto the bed. He stopped as Kelly reached up, putting a hand on his shoulder and guiding him to turn over, switching their positions. Kelly moved to straddle him, setting her hands on his chest, letting her fingers trail over his well-defined muscles. John's hands moved up her arms slowly, gently, as he settled into a comfortable position. Kelly leaned down, kissing him as she continued to explore his skin with her hands and her hips started to rock. She could already feel how aroused he was, his length pressing against his underwear, asking to be let free. Kelly ground her hips against his erection, pleased with the moan she elicited from him.

Kelly continued to move against him, enjoying the sounds that were so unique to John; moans that he tried to bite back so he wasn't too loud, deep breaths of focus and control, and half managed attempts at saying her name. It helped that the contact was stoking her own arousal, causing her to move slightly faster and with more force. John's hands moved to her thighs and he gripped her skin a bit tighter than Kelly would have liked, but it wasn't hard enough that it would leave any marks. John tried several times to manage her name, only getting half way through before it was lost in another deep sigh. He had apparently been trying to tell her something, when suddenly he was sitting up, and with a feat of strength that reminded Kelly exactly how much stronger he was then her, he flipped their positions. Kelly then found herself pushed down against the mattress, John forcefully moving his hips against hers. His mouth moved against her neck and shoulder as his hands travelled to her waist, grabbing the edge of her underwear.

John's mouth was suddenly gone; he'd moved down and was tugging Kelly's underwear down her legs. She straightened her legs as best she could, trying to ease his task. He managed to get them off, quickly removing his own underwear before he moved back into his former position. John leaned down and Kelly reached up, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him down in order to kiss him more quickly. She felt his cock rub against her and she moaned into his mouth, unable to keep herself from pushing her body up against him. John pulled back for a moment and let himself catch his breath, a hand moving from its place on her side to move himself into position. Kelly moved a hand to his back and she held onto him tightly, bracing herself. John slowly pushed forward, sinking himself into her, being careful not to rush it. Kelly let her head fall back and she moaned, giving him a clear audible cue that there was no pain. John pushed himself all the way in, his mouth moving over her neck and again capturing her lips. Kelly returned the kiss with as much passion as John was giving. John started to move, going almost excruciatingly slow, pulling almost all the way out before pushing back in.

John gradually increased his pace until he'd set a steady rhythm, a tempo that was easy enough for Kelly to follow. Her hips moved to meet his of their own accord, not quite matching his pace. John's mouth moved over her skin and chest, occasionally returning to her lips for a quick, somewhat sloppy kiss. It was just hard to concentrate on his mouth when he was moving inside her. His hands were running so perfectly down her sides to her thighs, lifting them slightly in an attempt to widen his access. Kelly shifted her legs a bit higher and wrapped them around his waist, trying to pull him closer, moving quicker. John got the hint and his movements started to intensify, though his thrusts became shorter to compensate for the increase in speed. Kelly didn't attempt to muffle her moans, knowing that John loved the sounds and that they provided another level of arousal for him. Kelly expected him to settle into a new rhythm, but rather he moved his hands to the bed as his pace continued to increase. He stopped kissing her skin and set his head against her shoulder, focusing fully on his thrusting. He was trying to keep his movements even, but was failing, to Kelly's enjoyment. It meant each thrust was different, leaving Kelly's body unable to become too accustomed to the sensation.

It wasn't long before John's thrusting was more like an assault rifle than a pistol, leaving Kelly trying to move her hips fast enough to match him with her legs still clinging to him. Her hands had both moved to his shoulders, gripping his skin tightly; as though the force of their bodies coming together might suddenly send him across the room. Her chest arched up, pressing against him harder as her mouth hung open, letting the sounds of her pleasure tumble out. She could feel her climax racing toward her at the furious pace of his thrusting. Still, it hit her like a charging Gúta, and left her gasping for breath between cries of his name. Her body tightened around him, but John's kept moving, now focused on achieving his own release. Kelly lost all ability to form words as he switched to rapid-fire short thrusts with enough force behind them that she was sure if she'd had normal bones they'd be crushed. John shifted his weight to one arm, his other hand moving down between them to settle on Kelly's clitoris. Kelly lifted her head to bury her face in John's hair while she stopped rolling her hips, for fear that any movement would remove his fingers from the sensitive bundle of nerves.

John started to slow occasionally, taking a break between faster thrusts to regain some energy, all the while his fingers still rubbing Kelly. It was during one of his faster bouts of thrusting that Kelly's second climax hit her, expelling the air from her lungs with a loud cry of ecstasy. Kelly hadn't even been aware she could come more than once, but somehow John had managed it. He then returned to his steady, fast pace and Kelly could only hold on tight as he moved, her toes curled and her fingers digging into his back. John finally slowed and pushed himself as far into Kelly as he could go, releasing his warmth inside of her. John collapsed onto her and they just laid there for a moment, trying to catch their breath. There were few things that could tire a Spartan out, but Kelly had never felt tired like this before; particularly after a lovemaking session. It was almost a minute later when John finally pulled himself out and rolled over onto his back. Kelly rolled over enough to drape herself over him, happily resting her head on his chest.

"Did you orgasm twice?" John asked, shifting Kelly a bit higher so her head was on his shoulder. Kelly only nodded, not sure if words were possible yet. John's arms wrapped around her and he kissed the top of her head. "Good."

"I didn't know I could," Kelly said breathlessly, finally managing to find her voice. She shifted on his chest to be more comfortable, aligning her body with his a bit more. "How did you know?"

"I did some reading," John answered. "A marine gave me a book about 'How to Please a Woman' as either a joke or a prank. I'm not sure which it qualified as."

"Well the joke's on him," Kelly said, smiling with a slight laugh. "Because you certainly pleased your woman; probably more than he ever has any of his." Kelly moved her fingers lightly over John's chest. "Did you learn anything else?"

"I've only read the first chapter, but there are nine more." John's voice was low and Kelly could tell that he was starting to drift off to sleep.

"I can't wait to see what's in the later chapters," Kelly teased, and John laughed lightly before falling silent. "I love you, John," she said softly. Kelly listened to his heartbeat, and from his breathing she knew he was still awake, but he remained quiet. She hadn't really expected John to say the words back to her, but his silence still hurt - as it always did. Kelly closed her eyes and banished that thought from her mind, and settled in to get some rest.


End file.
